Voting to elect 56 MPs begins in southern Cyprus

A record 493 candidates are vying for 56 seats in southern Greek Cypriot parliament

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - Greek Cypriots in southern Cyprus began voting Sunday to elect 56 new members of their parliament.

A record number of 493 parliamentary candidates – 488 from 12 parties and five independents – are competing to grab one of the 56 seats in the House of Representatives.

More than 42,000 registered voters, including around 600 Turkish Cypriots living in southern Cyprus and 271 Greek Cypriots living in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are expected to cast their votes between 7 a.m. (0400GMT) and 6 p.m. local time (1500GMT).

The results are expected to be announced by 11 p.m. (2000GMT) Sunday.

The new parliamentarians are going to be sworn in September for a term of five years.

The island has been divided into a Turkish Cypriot government in the northern third and Greek Cypriot administration in the southern two-thirds after a 1974 military coup by Greece was followed by Turkey’s intervention as a guarantor power in Cyprus.